Sadie Mills
Beloved mother and grandmother, Sadie Alice Mills, passed away peacefully on April 8th in Sedalia, MO, at Sylvia G. Thompson Residence, where she had been living since 2018. She was 91 years young.
Sadie was born in Sedalia, MO, on September 7, 1928, to John B. Whitfield and Mildred Elizabeth O’Daniels Whitfield (Gyp). She was the youngest of three children, her older brother, Jimmy and sister, Doris, who died at birth.
She attended Dresden Elementary School and graduated from La Monte High School in 1946.
In a whirlwind courtship of three weeks, Sadie met and dated Richard Leon Mills from Otterville, MO, and they were married on April 26, 1947, at the home of Rev. Kokendoffer in Sedalia, MO. Dick and Sadie moved to Dresden, MO, and set up residence amongst Sadie’s many close friends and relatives.
Sadie was an accomplished singer and performed at numerous weddings and funerals around central Missouri. In 1962, Sadie and Dick bought their first grocery store in Sedalia and followed that up two years later by purchasing the La Monte grocery store. They worked side by side in the grocery business for many years and finally built their lifelong home in La Monte in 1967. She was a member of La Monte Methodist Church, Eastern Star, and Sedalia Professional Business Women.
Throughout her life, Sadie was devoted to her family, and that went beyond her immediate family. She loved to visit and often did the rounds of visiting her friends at the bank, courthouse, post office, etc. She didn’t know a stranger. She found pleasure in the simple things in life- reading, mowing her lawn, bowling when she was younger, shopping at Hobby Lobby, Bath & Body Works, and ordering candles by the truckload on QVC. She loved playing piano, taking in stray cats, and calling her family on their birthdays to sing “Happy Birthday." She looked forward to her making her nightly pot of coffee and sitting on the front porch smoking a cigarette and watching the cars go by. She told her family to live life to it’s fullest and always love and cherish one another. She was proud of her family and never missed a moment to tell us that.
Sadie was predeceased by her mother and father, her brother Jimmy, and her husband, Richard Mills (2004).
She is survived in death by two children, Rick Mills of Warrensburg (Susie) and Linda Wheeler of La Monte (Steve).
She is also survived by 6 grandchildren, Jason Mills (Ginelle), Kelly Nimmo (Chris), Kimberly Mills, David Wheeler (Angie), Katie Case (Jimmy), and Sarah Alvarado (Chris) and 15 great-grandchildren: Jackson, Natalie, Gracee, Reece, Isabelle, Nicholas, Lindsey, Alle, Alana, Avery, Corinne, Damon, Caden, Daphne, and Kelsey.
Due to Covid-19 policies, an immediate family-only graveside service was Saturday, April 11th, in Dresden, MO, held by Sweeny-Philips & Holdren Funeral Home.
There will be a celebration of life service for Sadie in La Monte whenever this crisis passes. At that time, memorial contributions may be made to Dresden Cemetery and La Monte Methodist Church.
